Author Archives: لویی شکیبی

Digital segregation, or granting different levels of access to the global internet for those inside Iran based on their occupation, gender, age, or other characteristics (also known as layered or tiered filtering) has made its way from the periphery to the center of Iran’s internet policy with such force that in recent months that hardlyContinue reading “The Next Chapter in Iran’s Pursuit for Digital Authoritarianism”

Over the past few weeks we have witnessed the role of the Judiciary in restricting Iran’s internet becoming more prominent.  While the Judiciary has in the past worked hard on plans and legislation for criminalizing online activities, the protests under the banner of “woman, life, freedom” have certainly accelerated the Judiciary’s involvement in internet restrictionsContinue reading “The Judiciary’s Renewed Presence in Online Policies”

Following internet shutdowns and disruptions with the aim of cracking down on protestors, we witnessed Internet Service Providers be pushed towards insolvency from the severe financial strain of these shutdowns. Internet policy analysis from December reveals that the Iranian government’s response to addressing these challenges has been to speed up Iran’s internet localization project.  DespiteContinue reading “Government Accelerates Localization In Response To Financial Cost Of Internet Shutdowns”

Protests continued into October with the movement showing no signs of slowing down. The chants of Woman, Life, Freedom can still be heard across Iran. Iranian authorities continue to rely on the use of violence and deadly force to crack down on protests. In an effort to prevent the free flow of information and suppressContinue reading “Authorities Hide Behind “Security Reasons” To Justify Internet Shutdowns”

Since the start of the protests which began following the death of Mahsa Jhina Amini in September 2022, Iran has hardly experienced a day without internet disruptions, which have resulted in two major developments:  Efforts to advance the contents of the “User Protection” Bill, especially in relation to controlling bandwidth speeds, monitoring the use ofContinue reading “Realising Localization Dreams, Ignoring Crippling Financial Needs”

Amid protests, which began in reaction to the tragic death of Mahsa Jhina Amini in September, internet shutdowns across the country, and in some cases restricting the internet to domestic services via National Information Network (NIN) during certain hours – especially in the evenings – has forced internet users to use insecure domestic platforms. UsingContinue reading “Policy Monitor: Intimidation Of Activists Online And Offline “

[As we publish this article, protests have been taking place in Iran over multiple days following the death of Mahsa Jhina Amini following her arrest by the country’s ‘Morality Police’ in September 2022. Protestors have been met with the use of force by security forces, killing a number of protestors and leaving many injured. TheseContinue reading “Government Use of AI-enabled Facial Recognition Systems”

Summary Iranian internet policies were marked by a few significant developments in the last month, namely increased cooperation with Russia, limits on foreign access to Iranian websites, a rollout of a layered internet system, and the failure of a bill that would have protected Iranian internet regulators from lawsuits. The  ICT Minister of Iran’s recentContinue reading “Policy Monitor – July 2022”

Summary June was a busy month for internet policy making in Iran, especially as it concerns social and political rights of users. This month, the government announced plans to rapidly implement what is referred to in Iran as the Children’s Internet, a program aimed at restricting access to the internet for children and teenagers.  InContinue reading “Policy Monitor – June 2022”